Authorities are warning of a possible “creepy clown” revival to coincide with the upcoming release of the Stephen King movie It.

Police in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and California have cautioned residents that they may be seeing more of the menacing clowns as the horror movie featuring the murderous Pennywise clown, based on King’s 1986 novel, is set to open in theaters next week.

CBS News reports that Pennsylvania State Police have issued a community bulletin alerting residents to the possibility that scary clowns may be seen in the area just as they were last year at this time. There were sightings of the creepy clowns, some who carried weapons, in 16 states in 2016, including Pennsylvania

“With the fall of 2017 upon us, it is anticipated that similar ‘creepy clown’ sightings could be reported starting as soon as September, in part due to the fact that the movie ‘It’ will be released in theaters on 9/8/2017,” the Pennsylvania State Police bulletin reads.

“The movie, which is adapted from a Stephen King novel by the same name, portrays an evil demon who takes on the shape of a clown named Pennywise, ‘that stalks kids from within the sewers and killing them when they least expect it.’”

Most of the creepy clowns incidents during the last couple of years have not involved violence, although in May, a Colorado man was reportedly slashed to death by a suspect in clown makeup. In July, a man dressed as a clown wielding a machete was arrested in Maine, but had not injured any residents before he was apprehended.

Stephen King’s It opens in theaters on September 8.

Feature photo: New Line Cinema